The goals and purposes of this breed standard include: to furnish guidelines for breeders who wish to maintain the quality of their breed and to improve it; to advance this breed to a state of similarity throughout the world; and to act as a guide for judges.

Breeders and judges have the responsibility to avoid any conditions or exaggerations that are detrimental to the health, welfare, essence and soundness of this breed, and must take the responsibility to see that these are not perpetuated.

Any departure from the following should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

HISTORY

The Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog was developed in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania for use as a herd guard dog. The breed has many admirers in its native land.

The Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog was recognized by the United Kennel Club July 1, 2006.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

A large, long-coated dog, with a vigorous appearance. Never heavy or cumbersome, with the males being larger and stronger than the females.

CHARACTERISTICS

Calm and stable, this breed is a capable guard and a courageous fighter against predators such as bear, wolf and lynx. Wary of strangers, but very good with children.

HEAD

Moderately wide, with nearly parallel planes of the skull and muzzle and a stop that is not pronounced.

SKULL - Slightly domed, with a well-defined occipital protuberance.

MUZZLE - A little shorter than the skull, tapering in width from the eyes to the nose, but never pointed. The lips are thick and tight and fully pigmented.

TEETH - The Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite.

EYES - Moderate size, obliquely set and hazel or brown in color, never yellow. Expression is calm and intelligent.

EARS - Fairly high set, V-shaped with rounded tips, folded and hanging close to the cheeks. The ears should be between four and six inches in length.

NECK

Moderate in length, strong and powerful, without dewlap.

FOREQUARTERS

Moderate length and angulation of the shoulder blade and upper arm, which are heavily muscled and closely attached to the ribcage.

FORELEGS - Fairly long, straight, with closely held elbows and short, slightly sloping pasterns. Length of leg from elbow to ground is half the height at the withers.

BODY

Longer than tall in a ratio of 11:10. The chest is deep and broad, and the ribs are well sprung. The back is firm and the topline is level to the croup, which slopes slightly to the set on of the tail. Loin is fairly long, wide and muscular.

HINDQUARTERS

Very strong and powerful with moderate angulation at the hip and stifle.

HIND LEGS - Thighs are long, broad and strongly boned. The hocks are well bent and the rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground. Dewclaws on the rear legs are not penalized. Seen from behind, the legs are straight and parallel.

FEET

Large and oval, with tight, well-arched toes and ash gray nails.

TAIL

Set high, long enough to reach the hock, carried low in repose and higher and slightly curved when the dog is alert or on the move. Never curled over the back.

Disqualifications: Natural bob or docked tail.

COAT

Straight, abundant, harsh and a minimum length of 4 inches on the head and body. On the legs, the coat is shorter. The tail is well furnished. The undercoat is very thick and a lighter color than the outer coat.

COLOR

Solid white, solid gray or piebald. If piebald, the ground color must be white with well defined black or gray markings.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

For males, minimum height is 27˝ inches, ideal height is 29˝ inches. For females, minimum height is 25˝ inches, ideal height is 27˝ inches. Weight is in proportion to size.

GAIT

At a trot, the gait is harmonious, free, well coordinated and effortless.

ELIMINATING FAULTS

(An Eliminating Fault is a Fault serious enough that it eliminates the dog from obtaining any awards in a conformation event.)

Adult dogs under minimum height.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

(A dog with a Disqualification must not be considered for placement in a conformation event, and must be reported to UKC.)Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Albinism. Undershot or overshot. Missing canines or incisors. Natural bob or docked tail.